Chapter 10
July 16th, 2023
"Switch!" Silica called out as the heavy Chained Golem's arm crashed down on her shield. The smaller girl activated her Shield Skill and the heavy club-like appendage rebounded; Lisbeth immediately jumped forward, buckler on her arm as she swung her mace in a heavy sweeping arc. It smashed into the Chained Golem's side, dealing heavy damage thanks to the Golem's weakness to blunt damage. It groaned in pain before raising its arms and preparing for the three-hit punch. Lisbeth hunkered down, bracing herself, and absorbed all three blows on her shield.
While it pounded fruitlessly, Lisbeth made sure to keep the shield moving and grinned. That's right, she thought to herself, freaky face-without-eyes on her and her alone... Since it was focused on her and her alone, the Chained Golem was completely unprepared for Leafa to spring forward and slash down its unprotected back. The slash was enough to finally kill the monster and it shattered, just a little bit before its next hit landed on Lisbeth's buckler.
"Ugh," she groaned, brushing her hair out of her face. "I hate when I have to be the tank..."
"Don't complain," Argo called, instants before she jumped away from a ground smash. "At least ya can block it!"
...Why were they fighting in weird groups? They had all the tanks in one place! "This might not... have been the best idea," Kirito grunted as he parried a hammer punch. "Someone help, please!"
"Coming!" Lisbeth called. Silica was still recovering from tanking the other Chained Golem, and Leafa was on the wrong side of the battles, so she was the closest. Argo and Asuna were doing a good job darting in and out, nicking at the Chained Golem's health while Kirito kept its attention, but that wasn't a good substitute for a tank. "Asuna, switch!"
Asuna looked over her shoulder and jumped to the side, her half-cape fluttering in the air as Lisbeth rushed forward. The blacksmith jumped in the air, raising her hammer with both hands, and then brought it down squarely on the top of the Chained Golem's head with the Skill Thunder Crash. She hung in the air for a second as the impact rippled out, and then dropped as the Chained Golem shattered.
She landed on the ground, nearly overbalancing. She still wasn't used to the new brown leather boots Asuna had picked out for her, though they were comfortable, and the small heel did make her feel nice... Though she could really do without the rest of the outfit. She had her gauntlets and greaves, as well as a breastplate, but the rest of her equipment came from Asuna's 'inspiration' after seeing Argo in that cute maid outfit. She looked like a waitress, with the white frills on the skirt and the half-apron around her waist, tied in the back in a big floppy bow. She did like the floppy red bow around her neck, though; it was secured just under the sapphire necklace Kirito had given her last Christmas, on display prominently at her throat at all times.
When she'd protested, Asuna had simply held up the skirt again with a knowing look and told her, "It'll look cute when you open up a blacksmith shop!" When Lisbeth's resolve had wavered from that attack, Asuna had pushed for the kill: "Besides, I already bought it, and weren't you the one who said that once it was purchased, I had to wear my new equipment?"
The end result, of course, was that Lisbeth was wearing it out for the first time in the dungeon. She thought it looked cute, but... what if the others thought she looked weird in it?
Kirito approached her. "Thanks for the save, Liz. It was almost getting messy out there."
Feeling a little uncomfortable with such honest praise, Lisbeth grinned and nudged him with her elbow. "Please, we all know it was because you were showing off for Asuna~."
"Wha- No I wasn't!"
Lisbeth just giggled. It was fun to tease him about the girl. She was pretty sure he had no idea every girl in the guild except his sister had a crush on him, which made it all the funnier. "Relax, I'm kidding," she said. "Anyway, how are the others doing?"
Kirito turned to look around. "Pretty good," he said thoughtfully. "Klein and Fuurinkazan should be finishing up shortly, and the Black Cats are doing well..."
When he fell silent, watching the Black Cats intently, Lisbeth smirked. Teasing opportunity sensed, she crowed to herself and nudged Kirito's side with her elbow a few times. "Oh? What's this? You seem to be extra interested in the Black Cats. Or maybe it's just one member in particular?" She really wished she could pull off that eyebrow raise Argo was so good at, but she had to settle for the slyest grin she could make instead.
"No!" Like she expected, Kirito immediately blushed. "It's nothing like that. I was just watching to see if they needed our help, that's all. And they don't." Still a little red, he turned around to check on Asuna and Argo.
"Mm-hmm," Lisbeth hummed, watching him go. She knew he didn't think about Sachi like that. Heck, he didn't even think about them like that, and Argo was always all but rubbing herself against him. It was still fun to see his reaction sometimes.
Kirito's prediction came true shortly after that, though. With a loud, boisterous yell, Klein beheaded the Tormentor Kobold he and his guild were fighting in an honestly kinda impressive display of skill, not that she'd say so out loud. They let out a cheer as the monster in the dirty black hood disappeared, sheathing their weapons. The Black Cats took a little bit longer, but not by much; their own Chained Elemental died after a thrust from Sachi pierced its core, though the Black Cats had taken a little bit more damage than the other groups. They had the potions to heal up, though, so it wasn't a big deal.
The dungeon they were fighting through was a field dungeon, one of the ones on Floor 40, the current front lines. Since it was still on the front lines, the Royal Blades teamed up with the two guilds they had an alliance with to run a raid on it, just in case things went south. Since they were only halfway through and had already been attacked by a bunch of strong monsters, Lisbeth was pretty sure they'd made the right call.
"You guys doing okay?" she asked Fuurinkazan as the samurai wannabes checked their menus. Somehow, she'd become the go-to liaison between their guilds, not that she minded.
Dynamm grinned at her. "Don't need to worry about us, Liz. We're doing fine."
"Yep!" Klein gave her a thumbs up. "Just... maybe a second to catch our breath and we're fine."
Lisbeth grinned and returned the thumbs up before heading over to the Black Cats, where she heard the tail end of Sasamaru's comment. "...okay, Sachi? That last hit looked like it hurt."
Sachi smiled at Sasamaru's clear worry. "It's alright, I'm not hurt anymore," she said. "My health is full."
"Just make sure you stay behind Tetsuo," the boy in green said. "He's our tank for a reason. ...Oh, Liz, hi," he said, noticing the girl standing by their guild.
Sachi looked over as the other Black Cats said hello as well. "Oh, hello Liz," she said. "Ah! Your new equipment is really cute!"
"Oh, you're just saying that," Lisbeth said with a grin, waving at the air playfully to knock away the compliment. "But thanks. Asuna picked it out."
Sachi giggled. "It does look good on you. I like how it goes with your hair!"
Lisbeth smiled. "Thanks, Sachi. How are you guys doing?"
"Good enough," Ducker said carelessly, folding his arms behind his head. "Though it feels like we should have died a while ago, honestly..."
"Don't say things like that," Sachi said sharply, and Ducker winced at the rebuke.
Lisbeth just grinned and laughed a little weakly. "As long as you don't act on that feeling, we're all good," she joked. She glanced over her shoulder to see Kirito and Leafa waving at her, and said, "Oops, gotta go. We're moving on, so everyone ready?"
"Coming," Keita said as the Black Cats prepared to move.
The rest of the dungeon didn't prove to be much of a threat, once they'd gotten adjusted to the dungeon itself and the way mobs could spawn from even the seemingly empty jail cells. Eventually, they reached what seemed to be the end of the dungeon - and could hear the sound of combat inside. "Hurry!" Kirito exclaimed, drawing his swords as he ran forward. "They might need help!"
The three guilds charged forward, prepared for anything, and they burst into the boss chamber - a stylized prison cage, seemingly hanging in midair - at a sprint. Immediately, they saw the problem; another party was being harassed by more Chained Golems and Tormentor Kobolds. Five cages hung from the ceiling, providing an infinite spawning point for the monsters. What was worse, none of the players were shouting or talking to each other. Instead, they were all gesturing wildly, desperately trying to defeat the bosses.
Argo cursed. "Silence effect, Kii-boy," she said. "I've seen it before, they can't use crystals!"
Lisbeth realized that was exactly why they hadn't escaped - they couldn't. And the door to the cage they'd opened by throwing a lever in front of the boss door had closed behind them, so they couldn't escape that way. "Liz, Fuurinkazan go let them know we're here to help!" Kirito told her. "Everyone else, we're fighting the boss! That's the best way to save them."
"Right!" the players barked.
Lisbeth immediately ran for the nearest player, struggling against a Tormentor Kobold on his own. Her hammer in her hand, she spun on her heel right as she reached the mob and slammed the flat of the weapon against the Kobold's side. As it went flying, she exclaimed, "Hey! Need some help?" He nodded frantically, gesturing at his throat with his free hand, and she grinned. "Don't worry, the Royal Blades are here to help," she told him. The light entering his eyes was accompanied by a visible shudder of relief.
"And! Friends!" Klein shouted out as he slashed a Chained Golem, cutting one of the links binding its body. "We're here, too!"
Lisbeth grinned at him before running to help the next closest player. Klein was a good friend.
While she and the others could hold off the infinitely respawning mobs for a while, the problem was still pretty simple - they were infinitely respawning mobs. No matter how long they could hold out, their supplies were limited. As Lisbeth blocked a hammering punch from a Chained Golem while Klein and Dynamm tag-teamed the DPS role, she glanced over to the side where Kirito, the other girls, and the Black Cats were fighting. The Feral Warder Chief's HP was falling slowly, but steadily. The first of the two bars was almost empty, they just needed to hold out just a little longer...
She really wished she could be there fighting with him, Lisbeth felt her heart ache. She knew this was an important job, but - "Hey, Liz!" Klein hollered. "Go help Kiri-dude! Us Fuurinkazan got this!" She stared at the samurai, and he spared a second to give her a thumbs up before jumping out of the way of the Chained Golem's swipe with its trailing chain.
"Thanks, Klein!" she called back before jumping away to get away from the mob she was fighting. She looked at the curved-sword user, the leader of the party they were helping, and he gave her a thumbs up before launching forward in a spinning slash.
Grinning, she ran past the rest of the mobs and closed into range of the Feral Warder Chief. "Sorry I'm late, Kirito!" she called out.
"You're just in time, Liz," her leader replied from the masked boss's side. "Leafa, switch with Liz!"
"Got it, Kazuto!"
Leafa parried a blow from the Feral Warder Chief and knocked its massive axe to the side before jumping back. As soon as the range was clear, Lisbeth stepped in beside Silica and raised her buckler. Sure, she was tired, but as long as Kirito asked for her help she'd do whatever it took!
...
Lisbeth panted as she looked at the massive boss. Its health had finally reached halfway down the final bar, but she was totally exhausted. They'd been fighting for... She checked the clock in the corner of her vision while drinking a potion. It'd only been five minutes, but it felt like at least six times that. At least the boss was nearly dead.
"Hey!" Klein shouted suddenly in a panic. "There's more mobs spawning, you guys!"
"What?!" Kirito whipped around. From the corner of her eyes, Lisbeth could see more mobs climbing out of holes in the wall, dropping into the cage-like arena. Five, ten... Fifteen more Tormentor Kobolds, already willing to harass and bully the weak players, ganging up on them. "No! Keita, take the Black Cats and help them out!"
"What about you?" Sachi exclaimed, hesitating even as the other Black Cats nodded and turned to fight. Lisbeth gave the girl a thumbs up in an attempt to make her feel a little better. Sachi was so pale, that cute mole on her cheek stood out even more than usual... "Kirito, everyone, stay safe!" she cried, clutching at her spear before turning and hurrying away.
"Guess we just gotta take this big guy down ourselves," Lisbeth said to Kirito.
"Worried?"
She snorted. "Like I would be with you around," she said.
Kirito grinned wolfishly at the comment before twirling both his swords. "Guess I can't let you down, Liz. Let's go!"
Clang clang clang! Kirito's swords hammered on the massive caged orc over and over again, barely hesitating even when the Feral Warder Chief would swipe at him in response. It helped that Lisbeth and Silica were able to keep the boss's attention most of the time, even with all the damage Kirito, Asuna, and Argo were doing. Leafa would switch between tanking and DPS as necessary, but even while she was attacking the health was draining only a little bit faster.
Seriously, she was a little worried Kirito's sword was going to break under the strain he was putting it in.
"It's almost there!" Kirito shouted, just as the boss's health dipped into the red zone. "Just a little bit -"
"Wrooooar!" The Feral Warder Chief let out an eerie howl and swung its axe in a wide, sweeping arc. Most of the Royal Blades avoided the attack - Leafa and Silica were too close for it to hit them, Lisbeth was able to block the blow, and Argo simply dodged the attack with her insane AGI stat - but Kirito and Asuna were caught off guard and blown away. Fortunately, the Silence effect didn't proc on them, but that didn't stop them from flying backwards from the sheer force of the strike.
Asuna landed on her feet, naturally, and slid backwards before catching herself. Lisbeth's heart caught in her throat as she watched Kirito tumble, rolling awkwardly. "Kirito," she breathed, and almost ran to his side before he managed to push himself to his feet.
"Kazuto, watch out!" Leafa shouted, arm outstretched. A Tormentor Kobold had taken notice of Kirito, its bullying algorithms kicking in and making it lose interest in the player it had been fighting. Instead, it had raised the spear in its hands over its head, preparing to plunge it down into Kirito's unprotected back.
Kirito slashed out with his off-hand, almost like he knew where it was standing. That sixth sense of his again, Lisbeth dimly realized through the rush of relief that her leader and the boy she'd fallen for hard was safe. His eyes darted back to the front as the kobold died, before hardening. "Asuna!" he called out. "Protect me! I need about two minutes! Everyone else, focus on the boss!"
"Right," Asuna declared, standing next to him like the most powerful defender. Lisbeth could really see why she was the Princess of the Clearers; with the light shining down on her just right, her long hair streaming behind her and her gleaming rapier in her hand, Asuna was one of the most inspiring sights she'd ever seen. Even if the girl wasn't her friend, that image alone would be enough to convince the pink-haired blacksmith to follow her orders.
She knew that Asuna wouldn't let Kirito come to any harm. That was proved true soon enough as another Tormentor Kobold spawned from one of the cages, leaping towards Kirito with a warbling war cry as the boy knelt, manipulating his menu. Before it could get more than halfway there, though, Asuna's rapier had already pierced its body, flinging it to the side where it crashed against the cage wall. "You won't touch our Kazuto!" Asuna shouted.
Yeah. He was in good hands. Still grinning, Lisbeth turned back to the Feral Warder Chief and lunged forward, hammer raised. "Switch, Silica!" she shouted.
Her hammer slammed into the side of the boss as Silica hopped backwards. Yeah, Lisbeth hated when she had to be the tank, but this was for Kirito. This was for all of her friends in the Royal Blades, so she could do anything! She might not be as good as Silica when it came to tanking, or deal as much damage as the other DPS members of the guild, Lisbeth knew, but as long as she could do something she would still fight.
Her hammer swinging, Lisbeth slammed it into the boss one, two, three times with heavy slams that sent little shockwaves rippling out even while Argo and Leafa clawed and slashed at its sides. By the time the Feral Warder Chief was able to overcome the damage stun and attack, Lisbeth had recovered from her own post-Sword Skill stun and was able to block the attack with her shield. It wasn't a perfect block, so she wasn't able to open up the Feral Warder Chief for extra damage, but it did mitigate most of the damage.
Switching out with Silica, Leafa jumped back to recover, and Lisbeth grinned at the short girl. Her armor was starting to show its age, she really needed to forge her something new... Maybe with some of those Mithril Ingots from the 36th Floor. They were lightweight, too, so Silica wouldn't be encumbered... Lisbeth shook her head. No, focus, you big dummy, she told herself. You're fighting a boss!
"I'm ready!" Kirito exclaimed from behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder. Asuna was still standing guard, but Kirito had straightened up from where he was kneeling, holding both of his swords. "Switch!" he shouted as he lunged forward, both of his swords.
Lisbeth's body jumped away as commanded, even while she goggled at the sight in front of her. The whole time she'd known Kirito and watched him fight, his dual blades style was unique. It wasn't really Dual Blades, but a combination of One-Handed Sword Skills, he had explained when Lisbeth asked him how he used two weapons. A lot of practice and training went into making it look smooth, but at the end of the day he was only ever able to use one Sword Skill at a time.
But right now, both of his swords were glowing the same blue color, the sign of both weapons used in the Sword Skill. "Go Kirito!" Silica shouted, too busy cheering him on to realize that he was breaking all the rules of the game they knew so far!
"Haaah!" Kirito shouted, his face set in a firm mask of concentration. Swords sweeping out behind him, he slid in front of the boss and struck. Both of his blades spun in a circle as he unleashed a Sword Skill, slashing into the boss's unprotected stomach.
With a loud roar, the boss raised its axe over its head, the blade glowing; whatever skill it was attacking with gave it super armor, Lisbeth realized, preventing it from being stunned by Kirito's savage attack. "Kirito!" she cried, hoping that she could make it in time.
As it turned out, she didn't need to worry. Kirito's left sword flashed upwards just in time as the axe descended, the tip of his blade crashing against the flat of the blade. For an instant, Lisbeth stared as the axe halted in place, frozen and blocked by Kirito's sword; the pressure of the two blows crashing against each other created a blast of wind that ruffled her skirt and tousled her hair.
And then the sword shattered and her heart leapt into her throat.
"Ooooohh!" Kirito shouted, the sound ripping from his throat, and he thrust forward with his remaining sword, still glowing blue from his Sword Skill. The tip of the blade pierced through the Feral Warder Chief, and both of the fighters froze in place. Kirito from the post-Sword Skill delay, and the boss because that final blow had been enough to drain the last fragments of red health from its HP bar, killing it.
For a second, everyone froze in place as the boss died. The other mobs all shrieked in fear and retreated, running away and climbing back into the cages they'd spawned from. As the blue polygons scattered, Kirito's arm finally lowered and he straightened up with an audible sigh of relief.
That was the cue for every girl in the Royal Blades to swarm him immediately. "What were you thinking!?" Asuna exclaimed, inspecting him for damage. "You idiot! What if you'd gotten hurt!"
"That was nuts, Kii-boy! You gotta tell me what Skill let ya do that!"
"Pina, Kirito's amazing, isn't he?" "Kyuu!"
"I can't believe that stupid style of yours actually paid off, Kazuto," Leafa sighed, shaking her head.
Lisbeth plucked the hilt of Kirito's broken sword out of his hand and clicked her tongue in irritation when the hilt fuzzed and shattered. "Dang. I coulda saved it if it was just low durability, but broken like this..." She shook her head. "This was a masterpiece, but it's too late."
"Sorry for breaking your masterpiece, Liz," Kirito said, scratching his cheek.
The cheek that Asuna immediately pinched, tugging on it lightly. "You'd better promise not to do something that crazy again, got it, mister?" she scolded him. When he nodded, mumbling out an agreement, Asuna threw her arms around him in a hug. "You scared me half to death, Kazuto..."
"Sorry, sorry," he said, patting her back. "I'll try better in the future."
Asuna stared up at him, eyes narrowing. "Try?" she repeated archly.
"I'll do better in the future!" he yelped.
"Hey, Kii-boy," Argo whined, "what'd you doooooo? What Skill is it? Tell me, tell me!"
The clatter of armor heralded Klein approaching with the leader of the party they'd saved, that curved-sword user. "I'm a little curious myself, Kirito," Klein said. "I mean, I knew you fought with two swords, but I didn't think you could use Sword Skills with both!"
Kirito scratched his cheek, even while Asuna clung to him like a limpet. "Uh... I couldn't until just now? Right after killing that one Tormentor Kobold, I just got a prompt telling me I unlocked the Dual Blades Skill. I checked it out, and... well, that's what I used to kill the boss."
For a few seconds, everyone just stared at him, silently processing what he'd just said. Lisbeth noticed a few of the other players from the party in danger heading towards the back, where she could see a lever previously guarded by the boss.
Finally... "WHAAAAT?!" everyone exclaimed.
It took a little bit for everyone to calm down, but once they did Kirito was able to explain what little he knew. The skill seemed to eliminate most of the penalties for using two swords; normally, each weapon did less damage than wielding it on its own, so there really wasn't much point, but thanks to his new Dual Wielding Skill both weapons did full damage. It also unlocked a few other benefits, like faster Sword Skill cooldown and an all-new tree of Sword Skills to use.
Asuna was already clearly thinking furiously about the best grinding places for Kirito to level up, cupping her chin thoughtfully, and Argo was scribbling everything down in one of those leather-bound notebooks of hers. For her part, Lisbeth was more interested in watching how Kirito swung his sword with a flourish and sheathed it - his left hand going through the same motions with a phantom sword. He realized his mistake a second later, Leafa and Silica giggling at the surprised look on his face. Stepping up to stand next to him, Lisbeth prodded her leader in the chest playfully. "Looks like the two of us are heading out on a shopping trip sometime soon," she said with a grin.
"Huh?" Kirito said blankly. Lisbeth ignored how both Leafa and Silica complained about how things were unfair. "Why?"
"Well, if your new Skill needs two swords, you'll need one to replace the one you broke against that boss, right? So I figured I'd forge one with some really cool ingots." Lisbeth's mind was already whirling. Hmm, she needed something heavy, so the Mithril wouldn't work... She'd ask Argo about any new rumors for new mining spots, she figured, but if that failed then she'd just buy something from the market. It wouldn't be a bad idea to keep getting him new weapons from time to time, too, with how rough he was with them...
Never as rough as Silica, though. Lisbeth still had no idea how the little dragon-tamer managed to get every inch of her sword chipped without the weapon breaking.
"...to Liz. Hello? Earth ta Liz!" Lisbeth jumped, startled out of her thoughts by Argo waving her hands in front of the blacksmith's eyes. "Jeez, there ya are. C'mon, we're leavin'."
"C-Coming!" she said, hurrying to catch up with the Royal Blades.
July 18th, 2023
"Anythin' 'bout new ores, huh?" Argo asked.
Lisbeth and the info broker were sitting in the room the two of them shared, both girls lounging on the bed. Argo had been sitting on her stomach and kicking her legs in the air behind her, scribbling in her notebook, occasionally shooting off a message; meanwhile, Lisbeth had been trying to figure out what kind of sword she wanted to make Kirito. She knew the rough physical details, of course, but every time she wound up at the same question: what material should she use to forge it? Most of the new ores were super light, which was great for Asuna and Argo - and Silica too, for her armor - but not so much the others.
Argo rolled over onto her back, staring at the ceiling while her hands flicked through messages. "Yer usually the one keepin' track 'a that stuff," she said slowly, "but check this out."
She flicked her fingers to the side and sent a message screen to Lisbeth. The pink-haired blacksmith took a look at the message, skimming through it. "Eh? This is interesting... A rare mineral at the end of a dungeon on the 12th Floor?"
"Yep," Argo said. "S'posedly, it's a nice walk through fields of flowers, so not much of an issue."
"How did we miss it before?"
Argo shrugged, sitting up. "Kii-boy an' A-chan wanted ta push for the Lab'rinth? Silica wasn't a fan of th' mobs? Leafa said it was too far outta th' way, since th' town's on th' far edge of th' Floor? I was busy with info broker biz? Th' mobs were wa~ay too hard fer us at the time? Take yer pick~."
Lisbeth smiled. "Well, this might work. Thanks, Argo." Almost without thinking, she leaned over and gave the info broker a huge, warm hug. Argo squealed in surprise as Lisbeth's arms wrapped around her stomach. "Man, your diet works wonders, Argo," she said idly. "Or is it exercise?"
Argo's ears went bright red and the normally composed info broker mumbled, "Um, it's... I jus' eat whatever... An' don't do anythin' special..."
"Lucky," Lisbeth sighed. "I always have to watch what I eat. I just look at cake and gain a few pounds." With another squeeze, she conveyed her thanks to Argo for the information, making the Rat squeak again. Then, Lisbeth hopped off of the bed and hurried out of the room, looking for Kirito.
She found him sitting on the couch, chatting with his sister. "Hey, you two," she said, leaning against the doorframe.
Leafa looked over. "Hi, Liz," she said cheerfully. "Oh, I haven't said so yet, but I really like how your new battle equipment looks. It looks really cute on you!"
Lisbeth blushed. "I, uh... Thanks," she said. Truth be told, she still wasn't used to having people say she was cute. But Asuna insisted the waitress-like outfit really suited her, and Sachi and Leafa were saying the same things... And they were definitely cute and pretty, so was it okay for a tomboy like her to believe them? Lisbeth wanted to think so, at any rate. "Anyway, mind if I steal Kirito for the afternoon?"
"Aww, you're interrupting our sibling time," Leafa sighed, but stood up and stretched anyway. "It's okay, I've charged up my Kazuto batteries for now, so go have fun. You're shopping for new ores to remake Kazuto's sword, right?"
"Yep," Lisbeth said. "Though Argo also gave me directions to a quest if we don't find anything in the stores, so we might go work on that."
Leafa grinned. "Sounds like a plan. Have fun, you two, I'm off to find Asuna. Hey, Asuna!" she called out as she left the living room.
Lisbeth smiled and turned back to Kirito. "So, ready to - Hey, Kirito, don't go to sleep! I just said we were going out, jeez," she sighed when she realized he'd already sprawled out on the couch, eyes closed as he folded his arms on his chest. "Honestly, you're such a slacker..."
"I was just resting my eyes, Liz," he told her, pretending that butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.
"You can rest your eyes after I make you a new sword, mister," she said, prodding his shoulder. "Now let's go. The sooner we're finished with shopping, the sooner you can go back to sleep."
...
Lisbeth rolled her shoulders as she emerged on the main town on the 40th Floor, the edge of the front lines. "Alright," she said, pumping her fist in the air. "First things first, we should check out the biggest shop."
Kirito nodded as he stood beside her. He was wearing his battle equipment, since unlike Lisbeth or Silica his wasn't that obtrusive since he'd chosen to go with just his coat for protection. It certainly had enough defense stats to make a breastplate redundant, despite Leafa and Asuna's repeated insistence that he protect himself. In the end, he was good enough at not getting hit that they gave up on arguing with the stubborn boy and just let him wear his black coat. Naturally, Lisbeth was wearing her usual casual clothes; it was really similar to what she wore in the field, only with comfy boots instead of the ones with metal shin guards, and a dressier apron instead of the simpler one.
The two of them headed down the main street running north to south, making their way to a shop in particular. Still, it was nice for the two of them to wander around in public without other players making too big a deal about who they were. Sure, Lisbeth knew she was one of the more famous players thanks to just being part of the Royal Blades' main circle, but it was still weird to see the mid-level players stare in awe.
When they reached the shop, Kirito pushed the door open without hesitation and stepped through. The ringing bell was enough to catch the attention of the massive man behind the counter, and he turned around with an easygoing grin that definitely didn't fit his muscular appearance. "Well well well," he said, his voice a deep rumble. Lisbeth occasionally forgot how intimidating Agil could look. She knew he was just a big teddy bear, though. "If it isn't Kirito and Lisbeth. Hey there, you two."
"Yo, Agil," Kirito said casually, raising a hand. "How's it going?"
"Can't complain," he replied. "Business is boomin', you know how it is. So, whatcha lookin' for? I hope it's not to sell stuff, I still haven't gotten rid of all the junk you sold me last time."
Kirito grinned, leaning on the man's shop. "It's not junk and you know it, you swindler."
"Buy low, sell high, that's my motto, you know that," Agil grinned.
"If you two are done," Lisbeth sighed, grinning despite herself, "we're looking for any heavy ores, if you've got a lead on anything. Kirito here managed to break his sword, the dummy, and I'm looking for materials to make him a new one." Kirito at least had the grace to scratch his cheek sheepishly, like she'd noticed Leafa did from time to time. They really were siblings. "I could use what we have now, but it's a few Floors out of date," Lisbeth said.
Agil scratched at his goatee. "Heavy ores, huh? Can't say I know anything," he said slowly. "But then again I run a general shop, not one specializing in that sorta thing. From what I've been seeing though, a lot of the new weapons are lighter and faster. Nothing Kirito'd be interested in. Sorry I couldn't help."
"No, no worries," Kirito said. "Thanks anyway, Agil."
"Come back anytime!" Agil called as the two of them left the shop. "I'm always willing to take your money!"
Once the door closed behind them, Lisbeth sighed, idly touching the little hammer necklace around her neck. "Well, that was pointless," she grumbled. "Maybe we should have just gone with the quest from the start."
Kirito grinned, shrugging. "Hey, it was a good idea to check with Agil first anyway," he said. "His business is really taking off, huh? I wouldn't be surprised if he moves shops soon."
"Maybe when a bigger Floor opens up," Lisbeth suggested. Their axe-wielding friend had more or less switched over to full-time shopkeeping, buying and selling anything he could get his hands on. As a result, he was rapidly becoming one of the biggest household names, so to speak. "Anyway, should we go to the... Hey, what's going on over there?"
"Hmm?" Kirito looked over where Lisbeth was staring. She'd noticed it out of the corner of her eye, the shouting and loud voices barely registering, but as she and Kirito walked closer Lisbeth could hear the commotion getting louder.
"Please!" a player begged, on his knees as he grasped desperately at a player about to leave the Safe Zone. Lisbeth was pretty sure that the guy he was grabbing at was a member of the DDA, the alliance formed by the Dragon Knights Brigade and a few other guilds. Her suspicions were all but confirmed when he heartlessly pulled away, heading out of the town. "Someone, please help..."
Kirito immediately headed that way, Lisbeth following him without question. Honestly, she knew, there wasn't a question Kirito was going to help him. That's just the way he was...
"Um, hey," Kirito said as he stopped in front of the player. "Is something wrong?"
The man whirled around, staring up at him like Kirito had offered him a million col. "You're... you're Kirito! Leader of the Royal Blades! Please, you have to help me!" He reached up desperately and grabbed the lapels of Kirito's coat, tears brimming in his eyes.
"Calm down," Kirito said weakly. "I'll help you, just explain what's going on, okay?"
The man shuddered and sank to his knees again. "Finally... Someone... Someone will avenge them..." he mumbled, and Lisbeth exchanged a glance with Kirito. Wiping at his eyes, the man looked up at the two of them. "I'm the leader of a small guild called the Silver Flags. Or... I was. We were attacked by Titan's Hand, and I'm... I'm..."
He broke off, choking back a sob, and Lisbeth knelt down next to him. "Take your time," she said soothingly. "And you don't have to go into details if you don't want to."
The player sniffled. "S-Sorry... It's just, they were my friends, and..."
"It's okay," Lisbeth said. "We understand. Take as long as you need, okay?" While he collected himself, she glanced up at Kirito. He grinned at her, nodding, as he started tapping away at his menu. 'Titan's Hand,' she whispered to him, and he nodded once. Argo would be able to point them in the right direction.
Eventually, the man was able to speak again. "I... I want them to go to jail," he said. "They killed my friends, but... I don't want them dead. Is that weird?"
"Of course not," Lisbeth said.
He smiled weakly. "I, um... I used all of our money to buy this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a large blue crystal. "Please, use this Corridor Crystal to send them to prison. Please..."
Kirito reached out and accepted the Corridor Crystal. "Don't worry," he said. "We'll make sure they pay."
After more sobbing thanks, the player stood up and wiped at his eyes before leaving. Kirito even kindly pointed him towards Agil's shop, just in case the man needed to restock his equipment for cheap. After all, Lisbeth and Kirito knew that the shopkeeper ripped them off so that he could lower prices for everyone else.
While they waited for Argo to finish her inquiries and message them with more information about Titan's Hand, Lisbeth and Kirito took seats in the park, resting on one of the benches. It was really relaxing to be able to rest for a bit, Lisbeth thought idly. The fountain was really neat to watch, and there was even a little NPC band with a brown-haired singer nearby performing.
"I'm glad you were here, Liz."
"Eh?" she asked, surprised by Kirito's words. "Wh-what did I do?"
He smiled at her. "If you weren't there, I might not have been able to talk to that guy so easily. So, thanks, Liz. You're really great, you know that?"
Okay, there was no way she wasn't blushing after a line like that! Lisbeth didn't even try to say anything in response, she just turned away so that he wouldn't see her go bright crimson.
"Um, Liz? Are you okay?"
"Fine!" she squeaked. Stupid cheeks, stop it! Yeah, her crush on Kirito was growing bigger and deeper by the day, but stop it, she was in public!
"If you say so... Oh, Argo replied."
Once she had her blush under control, Lisbeth coughed and turned back. Kirito swiped the menu screen to the side a bit, and they both peered at what the info broker had sent them. Titan's Hand, Argo's message said, was a somewhat notorious orange guild, known to prey on players near the upper middle Floors; a lot of players had been reporting being attacked by the guild and robbed of all their money. To make things worse, if a player didn't have 'enough' money, Titan's Hand had no problem killing them instead; that's what earned them the name 'orange guild'. So that's what happened to the Silver Flags, Lisbeth thought somberly. The orange guild was led by someone named Rosalia, a redhead with a spear.
"I thought that after we dealt with Rafflesia, the orange guilds would have stopped," Lisbeth sighed. "And how have we not done anything about these guys yet?"
Kirito shook his head. "We've all been pushing forward, trying to get through as many Floors as possible," he said. "And Titan's Hand only started being visible recently, according to Argo. See, the first report was in May?"
Lisbeth frowned. "I just don't like that we're leaving the mid-liners like that. The Army is helping out in the Town of Beginnings, so the rear-liners are fine, but there's nobody really helping out the players trying to level up to join us on the front lines..." She shook her head. "Maybe if we had more of a presence? I mean, all of the front-liners, not just the Royal Blades."
"No, that's a good idea," Kirito said. "You have a point. We should do something about it..." He rested his chin on his folded hands. "I'll talk to Argo about it and see if we can start recruiting a few more players to help patrol the middle lines for things like Titan's Hand." After nodding, he stood up. "Well, we'd better go figure out what we're going to do about Rosalia and Titan's Hand."
"So, we were trying to figure out what to do," Lisbeth said. "But it was the same problem as when we were trying to catch Rafflesia. We're just too well-known to blend in. And we can't even use Alice or Kana again, thanks to Argo's newspaper."
"Thankfully," Kirito sighed.
Lisbeth smirked at him. "I don't know, Asuna did get a few versions of my outfit, there's one in pink that would look adorable on you... Maybe we can be twins, I just need to do your hair right, grab matching hair clips -"
"No," Kirito said flatly.
"Buzzkill."
Silica cleared her throat. While she couldn't deny being interested in the mental image Lisbeth was painting, that didn't really explain why they'd messaged her. "Um... So what does that have to do with me?"
Lisbeth looked over and grinned at Silica. "Well, so, now that you've got Pina, a lot of people are talking about you and your dragon. You're the Dragon Tamer Silica, right?" The Feathered Little Dragon in question chirped curiously from where she was sitting on Kirito's head, perched contentedly. "So, that's what most people think of when they see your name!"
Silica was pretty sure she knew where this was going, but Kirito's next words confirmed her suspicions. "I think, if we switch out your equipment and hang on to Pina for the day, you can catch them."
Pina let out a cry. "Kyuui!"
"Pina, it's okay," Silica said. "I'll do it. I'm the only one that can, right?" When Kirito and Lisbeth both nodded, Silica planted her hands on her hips resolutely. Her cute orange blouse and red skirt maybe kinda ruined the effect she was going for, but whatever! She was sure she still looked imposing. ...Probably. "You'll be fine staying with Kirito for a while, right?"
The Feathered Little Dragon let out a disgruntled squawk, but settled down on her second-favorite person, hopping off of Kirito's head and back-winging for a few seconds before getting a good perch on his shoulder. "Sounds good," Lisbeth said before swiping open her menu. "Here, use this equipment. It's lower-level, but not too much. About on par with what someone would be using on Floor 12, if they'd purchased it from this Floor."
It was a dagger and light breastplate; Silica wasn't a huge fan of the fighting style, but she still had a few ranks in the Dagger Sword Skills. She'd be able to use them. Still... "I don't know if this is a good idea," she said. "I mean, I usually use a one-handed sword, right?"
"It's fine," Kirito said. "Besides, wearing it will make you look cute and vulnerable, so Rosalia might think you're a good target. Plus, since it'll be a nice weapon you're a little unfamiliar with, it'll look like you have plenty of col and just bought the most powerful one. ...Silica?"
"Kyuru?" Pina chirped, looking at Kirito in confusion.
Silica had gone bright red when Kirito said that she looked cute, turning around and crouching like the flowerbed in front of her was the most interesting thing in the world. Aaah, she felt like she was going to catch fire!
"...Oh, I get it," Lisbeth said suddenly. "I can take it from here, Kirito. Go on, this is a girls-only talk. Shoo, shoo!" She made little pushing motions at Kirito, and he backed off to give them space. Lisbeth nodded in satisfaction and turned back to Silica. "Man, you've got it bad, huh?"
"Wh-wh-what are you talking about, Liz?" Silica stammered, doing her best to pretend she had no idea what Lisbeth was talking about. "I-I-I don't have a crush on K-Kirito, not at all!" Whoops. Okay, so maybe she wasn't thinking clearly.
Lisbeth smirked. "Suuuure you don't," she said. "Anyway, I think you're almost good to go. Stand up and let me take a look..." When Silica did as she asked, Lisbeth hummed thoughtfully. "Tch, this store-bought crap offends my sensibilities as a blacksmith. But, it'll do... Rrgh, I'm trying so hard not to go make something new right now."
"It's okay, Liz," Silica said, patting her on the arm. "You do so much for us already."
"It's the least I can do," the blacksmith said, waving her hand. "But those twintails might stand out a bit... Hey, I have an idea. Let's see, hold still." Silica did as Lisbeth asked, blinking in confusion as the pink-haired girl fiddled with her hair for a second. "There! Perfect."
"What did you do?" Silica tilted her head, and tossed it a bit. She still felt her twintails bounce, so it wasn't like she'd undone her hairstyle or anything like that.
Lisbeth grinned. "A little cosmetic item Asuna asked me to - I mean, uh, something I found. Crap, that's supposed to be a secret between the two of us..." Silica blinked, confused, but decided to ignore it. Instead, she headed over to the fountain and leaned over, peering at her reflection in the water.
Aah! "I have cat ears!" she exclaimed, reaching up and watching her reflection do the same. Her questing hands found soft, furry appendages on the top of her head, and when her fingers brushed them they flicked just like Pina's did. The cat Pina, not dragon Pina, she added to herself. "Liz, what the heck?"
"It catches the eye!" Lisbeth said innocently. She couldn't fool Silica, she knew how much Lisbeth liked cosplay! Almost as much as Asuna! "Nobody's gonna notice you have twintails with those cuties on your head!"
Mrrrgh. Well, Silica was forced to admit that Lisbeth did have a point, so... "Oh, fine," she said. "But don't tell Ar- hey, Liz, no pictures!" Lisbeth tucked away a recording crystal and whistled, pretending she hadn't done a thing. "Rrr, you suck." She elbowed her friend in the side, and Lisbeth coughed in surprise and a little bit of pain.
...
"You're a little young to be up here on your own," the woman with red hair covering one eye said, twirling a lock around her finger. Her equipment was nice cloth armor, with fur cuffs and a half cape covering her left leg. A silver spear with a crossbar just below the hilt hung on her back. "So what do you say? Join up with our party, and it'll be a breeze getting through the dungeon. I've heard they've got some really rare items up there as a reward for clearing it."
"Sure," Silica said. This woman was really creeping her out... But this was Rosalia, the person Kirito and Lisbeth had told her was the leader of Titan's Hand. Maybe the way she kept caressing the shaft of her spear was just a weird quirk? Argo had those whiskers, and Asuna kept trying to pet Pina, so it wasn't like her friends were all that normal... "I'm not very experienced, but please take care of me!" she said, bowing.
The player leading the party sent her the invite, and Silica hesitated for an instant before pressing Accept. She really really hoped that Kirito's cover story worked... "Welcome to the party... Silica?" the man asked, blinking. "Like, the Royal Blades Silica?"
"Eheheh... She's my hero," Silica said with a giggle. That would explain the twintails in their minds, at least... "But it was just a really weird coincidence. Our names are spelled really similarly, I guess."
"That makes sense," one of the boys said. He was tall and thin, standing next to another guy that was short and squat. "The other Silica always has that cute dragon with her."
Rosalia rolled her eyes. "Come on, you can fawn over the little darling later," she sighed. "We're burning daylight." Silica narrowed her eyes. The redhead was starting to get on her nerves... She checked the cursor over Rosalia's head again, just in case some miracle had happened. Nope, still green.
The whole time they were on the quest, Rosalia was just... Ugh, she was just the worst! Silica had no idea how the others managed to stand her. She was always whining about needing more potions and healing crystals, or complaining that the other boys were protecting Silica, which was totally untrue. And it didn't help that Silica felt clumsy without her shield and sword providing a comforting counterweight. She missed a lot of easy attacks that she knew she should have nailed. Naturally, the guys all fell over themselves to assure her that she was doing great and not to worry about it.
Ugh, this sucked, Silica sighed, her twintails drooping. She really wished she could be with Kirito. He never patronized her. None of the Royal Blades did, and that was why they were her best friends. After Pina the Cat, of course.
"Finally," she grumbled under her breath petulantly when they beat the dungeon boss. "...Oh! The ore dropped for me!"
"Congrats," the leader of their party said with a wide smile. "Luck was on your side, I guess."
"Yeah, I didn't get it."
"Me either."
As the rest of her party chimed in with congratulations at her random drop, Silica chanced a peek at Rosalia before shivering a little bit. The older woman - maybe college age, Silica guessed - was watching her with a predatory smirk, her tongue flicking out and moistening her lips. ...Eww, Silica thought privately.
Under the pretense of sorting her items, Silica sent off a quick message to her guild members. It wouldn't send while she was in the dungeon, but the second she exited into the field... It didn't take long for everyone to exit the dungeon and before too much time had passed they were nearly back at the closest town. For all the talk of the dungeon being difficult, they hadn't had much trouble with the dungeon. She figured it made sense; after all, they had gone in with a full party.
"Oh, Silica," Rosalia mentioned just as they were about to cross the bridge back into town. The woods they were in were a little gloomy, especially since the sun was starting to set, but it was thin enough that there was still plenty of orange light. "Would you mind being a dear and speaking with me for a second?"
"...Sure!" Silica chirped, playing oblivious as she told the leader that they were going to be leaving the party here. He agreed, and both Silica and Rosalia dropped from the party without any hassle. The other members of the part waved as they headed back to town, and Silica waved back until they were out of sight. "So, um, Miss Rosalia, what did you want to talk about?"
Rosalia smiled, leaning on her spear a little bit. "Oh, just to congratulate you on getting the rare drop, Silica. It's a low percentage, you know, so it's very valuable." Silica smiled and shifted her weight, preparing to jump away or equip her real armor. Abruptly everything about Rosalia's body language changed as she dropped the smile. "Now," she said, her voice going hard and cruel, "hand it over."
"Wh-what are you talking about?" Silica asked, pressing a hand to her chest.
Rosalia just approached the girl carelessly. "Give me the rare item, and nobody will get hurt."
Silica swallowed, and then swiped open her menu. Before she went any further, however, she said, "I'm not giving this to you, Rosalia. Or the orange guild. You're the leader of Titan's Hand, aren't you?"
"Oh?" Rosalia shifted her weight, unconcerned.
"You were part of the part so that you could find victims, right?" she asked. "And because I'm the only one who got the drop, you're trying to lure me into an ambush."
Rosalia smirked. "You're perceptive, for a little girl. Sure, I was part of that party for one reason alone, to watch them earn that beautiful money." She licked her lips, and a shiver ran up Silica's spine and through her twintails. Gross... "So, if you know all that, why haven't you given up yet? Are you an idiot?"
"Actually," Silica said, screwing up her courage, "I've been looking for you, Rosalia." Yes! she cheered to herself. She said it like she knew Kirito would have!
Rosalia's smirk faded as she watched Silica almost thoughtfully. "What are you talking about?"
"You hurt people," she told the redhead. "People like the Silver Flags."
"Oh, right," Rosalia murmured, twirling her finger in her hair. "Those losers. They didn't have any money."
"So you killed them!?" Silica exclaimed, outraged. "Rrr... No wonder he wanted you to go to jail."
Rosalia sighed, shifting her weight again and her grip on her spear. "Whatever," she said in a totally disinterested voice. "It's about time you start worrying about yourself." She snapped her fingers, and Silica felt a moment of worry when a small mob of players stepped out from behind trees. She'd never picked up the Search or Detection Skill, relying on Argo and Leafa for that, so she had no idea there were ten orange players just waiting around for Rosalia to call for them.
Silica didn't hesitate, though. With practiced ease, she manipulated her menu as the bandits closed in. A light enveloped her for an instant before flashing away, revealing that she'd equipped all of her normal equipment; a heavy one-handed sword and shield were on her arms, and her regular armor was safely around her, protecting her once again.
"Huh?" One of the swordsmen said. "Wait..."
"One-handed sword, heavy armor... Twintails..." Another of the bandits, carrying a mace, hesitated. "Rosalia, you said her name's Silica? She's a member of the Royal Blades!"
Rosalia scoffed. "That's not possible. Do you see that blue lizard anywhere? And she didn't have the guild symbol in her icon bar when we were part of the same party."
"Hey!" Silica exclaimed. "You take that back! Pina's not a lizard!"
"I dunno, boss," the smart bandit said. "Something doesn't feel right..."
"Oh, stop being a coward and kill her already!" Rosalia shouted.
Most of the bandits charged Silica, with the only one hesitating being the mace-user. Even still, he gave up and attacked as well. Silica was surprised; their attacks just seemed so weak. She was able to set her feet and stand firm, blocking their Sword Skills almost effortlessly. Still, there were a lot of them, so Silica wasn't able to block everything. Slowly but surely, her health started to drain. Closer, closer... Silica kept an eye on it, trying to figure out if she needed to use a potion.
Really, she didn't want to attack them if she could help it. Kirito told her she should be careful not to hurt them...
"Kyuru!"
Silica's eyes lit up as a healing breath washed over her, courtesy of her friend. "Pina!" she exclaimed, smiling widely as the Feathered Little Dragon circled her head. "You're here!" And if Pina was here, that meant Kirito was nearby! The Feathered Little Dragon landed on the ground and snarled, her hackles raising as she flared her wings. Silica giggled; even when this angry, Pina was still adorable. "Thanks for healing me, Pina."
"Krrr!"
The members of Titan's Hand took a few steps away from Silica and Pina. "She really is from the Royal Blades," the mace-user said. "Rosalia, we -"
He stopped, his words choking in his throat. Silica tilted her head and blinked until she realized why he'd stopped; Rosalia had her chin tilted back by the edge of Kirito's sword, carefully held just centimeters from her skin. Meanwhile, Lisbeth was approaching them, mace and buckler at the ready. Against just Silica, they might have been able to win - but now they were against the Dragon Tamer, the Master Blacksmith, and the Black Prince himself. One by one, they raised their hands, dropping their weapons.
"Oh good," Lisbeth said, "they're not gonna fight back. That makes things easier, doesn't it?" She held up the Corridor Crystal and it gleamed. "Off to jail with all of you."
Titan's Hand, Rosalia included, was unceremoniously marched through the Corridor. Once the redhead was through, the portal snapped shut behind them and every member of the Royal Blades let out a sigh of relief. Pina hopped around for a bit before leaping into Silica's arms, licking her master on the cheek. "I missed you too, Pina," she said, hugging her dragon. "I'll make sure to give you plenty of peanuts tonight, okay?"
"Kyui!" Pina chirped happily, licking Silica again. She giggled and wiped at her face.
"I'm glad everything went well," Kirito said, his sword sheathed on his back again. "I was a little worried about you, for a minute."
Silica grinned, slightly embarrassed that he'd say something like that, and Lisbeth threw her arm around Silica's shoulder. "Ah, you knew she'd be fine," Lisbeth said with a grin. "You just wanted to see her in these cute cat ears, riiight?" With a teasing tone in her voice, her other hand played with the cat ears the accessory gave Silica.
"Liz, stop that!" Silica protested. "Oh, why are you so mean! Liz you're the worst! Kirito, help!"
Naturally, Kirito just scratched his cheek and looked away sheepishly.
Lisbeth sat down at her forge and watched it flame to life. Hmm, she hummed, it was starting to get a little cramped after she'd upgraded it to a larger size. The corkboard on the wall had a few important notes, like the best place to find certain materials, as well as the most important thing - pictures of the Royal Blades. She was in most of them, smiling and laughing, but there were a few of her friends on their own. She felt warm inside every time she looked at them, so they were displayed prominently in her workspace.
Other than the forge, there was her anvil, her whetstone, a bunch of crates holding materials for quick access, tools she could use if necessary... Yeah, it was getting hard to walk around. They'd just opened up the 40th Floor recently, so maybe it would be a good time to start looking for a shop, sometime soon.
Lisbeth shook her head. Focus on what you're doing, Liz, she told herself, and equipped the heavy brown gloves that she always used when forging anything. They gave her a boost to her Blacksmithing Skill, and increased the chances that the weapons and armor she made had good stats, so of course she wore them. "Okay, it's hot enough, give me the mats you want used," she said to Kirito.
He was standing along the wall, just watching her work, but at her words he pulled out the sack of ores he wanted used. They would help influence the final stats of the weapon, even though it was mostly up to luck. She accepted the materials and tossed them into the furnace, waiting for the sudden burst of heat to die down. Once it had, she picked up her tongs and clamped them around the ingot sitting on her anvil. Here we go, she thought, and took a deep breath before shoving it into the forge.
The ingot heated up until it was glowing cherry red, and she pulled it out and ferried it over to the anvil. As she picked up the hammer and selected what she wanted to make, setting the details like weight and length, the world almost seemed to fall away until it was just her, her hammer, and the ingot itself.
The first blow crashed down on the ingot. Then the second. Then the third. Lisbeth closed her eyes, feeling that it was the right thing to do, for some reason. She pictured the ingot in her mind, and then the face of the boy she was making it for. A warmth bloomed in her chest unrelated to the heat of the forge, and a soft smile tugged at her lips. Yeah... This was for Kirito. The boy she was in love with. Her Someone Special.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
This was going to be a masterpiece. With every hammer blow, she poured her feelings into the blade in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, they'd reach Kirito. She wasn't sure what she'd do if they did, but... She needed this. This was how she was going to forge the best blade she could!
Memories of their time together flashed through her head. Meeting him on the second Floor when she rescued Silica... Joining the Royal Blades, even before they were officially a guild... That magical moment last Christmas when he gave her the beautiful necklace around her neck... All the times she'd gotten closer to him, little by little.
Over and over her hammer slammed down on the ingot, until finally a bright light shone through her eyelids. Lisbeth pulled back the hammer and opened her eyes, watching as the glowing ingot shifted and reshaped itself into a one-handed longsword. Eventually, the crimson glow of the fire's heat faded away, leaving her with the blade itself sitting on her anvil.
It was a wonderful sword, with a snow-white hilt. The crossguard was gold and red, like a rising sun, and a sapphire stone gleamed in the center of the crossguard. The blade itself was long and straight; the core part of the metal was red with a gold stripe directly down the center, but the edge was cold steel so pale it was almost as white as the hilt of the sword.
Lisbeth stared at it, ignoring the information pop-up for a second, before she remembered herself. "'Burning Heart'," she read out loud. "That's its name. And I don't think Argo has any information about it, so... it's a brand new sword." Reverently, she picked it up - heavy! she nearly gasped - and offered it to Kirito. "Here, Kirito. It's yours. My masterpiece."
"R-Right," he said, accepting the blade. He focused on it, studying the sword, and then finally asked, "Is it okay to take it outside? I'd like to try a few Sword Skills."
"Sure," Lisbeth said. She followed him out, cradling a white sheath against her chest as they headed out to the practice circle. Kirito stood there, eyes closed, before he whipped the sword up. Its glowing edge traced trails in the air, each one different colors as Kirito ran through the basic Sword Skills for a one-handed sword.
Before long, he'd finished whatever testing it looked like he needed to do, he let the sword hang down, tip pointed towards the ground. "Hmmm..."
"Y-Yeah?" Lisbeth asked, her throat dry all of a sudden. "How... How is it?"
Kirito stared at the sword for another few seconds, before he turned to Lisbeth. She felt her heart leap into her throat at the sight of the huge smile on his face. "It's amazing... No, amazing doesn't do this justice," he said. "It fits in my hand, and the way it moves... It's like it was made for me and only me!"
Lisbeth grinned. "Well, I'm glad you like it."
Kirito nodded. "I really do. Thanks, Liz. I'll use it as long as you help me keep it in fighting shape."
"Wouldn't want it to break like your old one, huh?" Lisbeth nudged his side and grinned. "But this sword is special, you know? This one you have to pay for!"
"Huh?" Kirito said, staring at her in surprise. She expected that; she'd never charged before, she'd just taken money out of the guild coffers to pay for materials.
"Yep," Lisbeth told him as she offered the white sheath to him. "But I'll be charging interest, so hurry up and clear the game, got it?"
Kirito grinned. "Once we're out of here, I'll come find you right away. I wouldn't want you to charge any more interest, right?"
"Right. It's a promise," she said happily.
And then... When they met in the real world, she'd tell him how she felt. If she could manage to put her feelings for Kirito ahead of her friendship with the others...
Little known fact: Lisbeth and Silica are, in fact, cute. Amazing, I know, but true!
Alright, so since Kirito unlocked Dual Blades in this chapter, I'll explain the skill itself. Unlock conditions: Kill ten thousand enemies with each weapon (20,000 total). The count doesn't reset with different weapons, but will keep track of which hand is used. Since Kirito is right-handed, his left hand was the one lagging behind, and the ten thousandth kill was oh-so-fortuitously in the fight against the Feral Warder Chief. The rest of the details are in the chapter itself: it removes the damage penalty to using two swords and allows for Dual Blades Sword Skills to be used, as well as a few other little buffs here and there. It's basically a reward for being stupid enough to fight at a disadvantage for a long time. Kinda like Magikarp.
Other than that, yes! That was the Feral Warder Chief that killed Yuna (from Ordinal Scale). She popped up as a small cameo later in the chapter. Hooray, she lives (and Eiji is still friendzoned forever).
After that, we switched to Silica on To Catch A Predator (And Also A Thief). Rosalia is one of those weird slimeball characters where she's strangely fun to write, if only to have a totally unrepentant character to be evil and then also be wrecked. Silica's voice is fun to write, too, since she's convinced she's grown up and mature except her inner voice is still very much a kid at heart. She's still powerful, and adorable, in her full setup, though. (Also I like her Cait Sith appearance more than her SAO look. That, plus Liz being one of the people that likes cosplay, along with Asuna, resulted in Silica having kitty ears.)
And Liz forged one of the two swords Kirito will be using for the rest of the story! Right now, Burning Heart is... roughly on par with a sword from Floor 50-55? Basically she rolled really well on her forging, so it's super powerful (That's the power of love~). The design was taken and modified from Lingering Heart, the sword she forges in Hollow Fragment, but that's just the base idea. Either way, she's decided on when she's making her love confession! You go, girl - if she can figure out how not to hurt the others in doing so, that is.
Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed.